The Railroad That Decided It Did Not Have to Obey the State
Great Northern built a $20,000 depot at Odessa as a gift to a friendly town — while flatly ignoring orders from the Washington Railroad Commission. Now the commission says it will prosecute.
Seattle, Oct. 10. — The act of President L. W. Hill, of the Great Northern, in authorizing the construction of a $20,000 depot at Odessa is construed by some as a slap at the Washington railroad commission, and may cost the railroad company several thousand dollars in penalties for neglecting to comply with and ignoring the orders of the commission.
Some six months ago the railroad commission made a tour of the Great Northern, in the course of which many grievances were heard against it regarding its service and facilities. A number of orders were made by the commission directing the company to improve its station and other facilities. The railroad commission law provides penalties for any railroad refusing to comply with such orders, and the other railroads of the state promptly complied with similar orders made at the same time.
The Great Northern, however, has not complied with these orders, nor has it appealed from them as is permitted by law. It has taken the course of ignoring the commission and its orders entirely. Now comes the announcement that the road, as indicated by the Odessa incident, intends not only to refuse to obey the commission, but to show its contempt for that body by granting favors in the way of improved service to communities which come to it direct, while declining to comply with legal orders for such improvements made at the request of communities which chose to go to the state commission instead.
The time for compliance with these orders has passed and already the road is subject to penalties for their disobedience. It is intimated that these penalties will run into thousands of dollars, while the entire cost of the many improvements ordered would not have been more than $25,000 to $30,000.
The commission was inclined to be patient with the railroad so long as there was no indication that it was not acting in good faith. But this latest act will be taken as contempt for the commission's rulings and for the legal authority of the state to regulate railroads, and the commission will have criminal proceedings instituted against the railroad to punish it for the violation of these orders.
“It has taken the course of ignoring the commission and its orders entirely.”
Substitute a regulator for the railroad commission and a utility or platform for the Great Northern and the playbook is unchanged: build the thing you want where you want it as a favour, ignore the lawful order, dare the state to sue. Eastern Washington towns like Odessa still argue they get the leftovers of decisions made in Seattle and the boardroom.
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